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Why clean and organised spaces are good for you
Do you ever flick through glossy magazines or browse around Pinterest, admiring images of gorgeous kitchens with benchtops with just one recipe book open? Do you get pantry envy when you see rows of colour coded labels on beautiful containers? What about a lounge with just one corner sofa, a large house plant, and a pure white fluffy rug?
But who lives in these houses, you ask yourself? Where is all their STUFF?
You look at your own house and sigh. It never looks tidy, even though, and you always seem to be cleaning and tidying up. Your clutter probably hasn’t reached the level of compulsive hoarding but if everything feels disorganised, you’ll feel like you can never relax.
This sense of unease, or even unhappiness, among disorganised spaces is recognised by scientific research. Fact is, keeping things clean and organised is good for you. People who keep their homes clean and organised are healthier, both physically and mentally.
A clean and tidy home can strengthen your immune system and helps avoid illnesses. Bacteria, mould, and dust cause allergies, asthma, and irritated sinuses. It also reduces your risk of injury, as there’s less chance you’ll trip over something. Cleanliness also lowers your stress levels so that it can lead to a happier, healthier you.
Keeping things clean can even save you time and money! You’ll spend much less time looking for things when it’s all organised and, for example, if you keep your appliances in good condition, you’ll spend less on repairs or replacements.
Restorative and uplifting spaces
Research from Princeton University found that clutter makes it harder for people to focus. Another study, which analysed the way people describe their homes, found that women who described their living spaces as “cluttered” were more likely to be depressed and fatigued. They also had higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol than the women who described their homes as “restful” and “restorative.”
It makes sense that living among clutter makes your mind feel disorganised and anxious. Whereas relaxing in a beautiful clean room is restorative and uplifting, like that feeling you get when you walk into a stylish upmarket hotel room.
The practicality of day to day living means you can’t just throw everything away into a skip, but it’s likely you will have plenty of things you might as well get rid of. A clean, tidy house is a natural mood booster and spending the time and effort to keep your spaces clean, or hiring an expert to help you with this, is worth it.
Decluttering and home organisation involves an honest assessment of what you really do not need, as well as creating spaces to tidy away other items neatly. That’s something Siobhan from Clutter Monkey specialises in.
It sounds simple in theory but decluttering your whole house or even one room can be stressful. Especially if you still have all the children’s baby clothes even though they are now at university, or four different sizes of clothes in your wardrobe, just in case you’ll keep up the diet and exercise and get back into the jeans you loved when you were a size 8.
This is where it pays to enlist a pro to help you out. With a fresh perspective, support, and guidance, and – most importantly – a plan, you can tackle the clutter and get organised for good.
Where to start
Buying less is the obvious way to cut back on clutter and enjoy a cleaner, tidier home. But what else can you do to ensure you don’t have to face an ever-growing pile of stuff?
A good place to start is the wardrobe. Take everything out and put it into piles of clothes that you wear often, things that you don’t wear often but are special occasion outfits, and another pile for the items you haven’t worn for a year.
Look over the things that you haven’t worn and think how you might fall back in love with them – for example pairing an older top with a new skirt. But if you really haven’t got any use for them or if they simply don’t fit you anymore, it is time to let them go.
Put them in a pile to give away, sell, or donate to charity.
Next, you organise your wardrobe into summer and winter sections. What you are aiming for is two seasonal capsule wardrobes, which is a small number of pieces that can be mixed and matched.
This not only makes more space in your wardrobe, it also makes dressing easier. For example, a winter coat, a raincoat, a little black dress, boots, high heels, sneakers, jeans, T shirts, and a couple of jumpers. Go for black and white, then add colour with your accessories.
Once the wardrobe is done, you can tackle the rest of the bedroom. Throw away old linen and donate old towels to the local animal shelter or your neighbourhood vet. They will appreciate it more than you know!
Going through the decluttering process room by room takes time and effort, but it will bring you more energy and joy in your home. Getting rid of things that no longer serve you makes room to enjoy the things you really love.
Don’t be tempted to refill those empty spaces either; once you’ve started the process, enjoy the minimalism!
The benefits are huge
Decluttering your home can be eye-opening. You’ll realise there’s lots you can live without. Getting organised also means wasting less money on things you don’t need (or that you already had stacked away in a drawer but forgot about), and groceries you don’t eat.
You can sell some of the items you don’t want or need any more on TradeMe or Marketplace. Good quality clothing, shoes and handbags, children’s toys, electronics, tools and furniture are always in hot demand.
For many people, decluttering and organising the home is a daunting process. It really helps to invest in a professional organiser such as Siobhan to help you organise your spaces. She’s the expert in helping you tackle your clutter and can assist you with organising things beautifully, so you can take control of your home and change things for the better.
The biggest advantage of being organised is that you’ll have more time for you. It allows you to live a more intentional life. If you’re in Auckland and would like to know more about Clutter Monkey’s home cleaning and home organisation services, call us anytime. We’d love to hear from you!
